Frozen: Winter Soldier
by Gen17
Summary: "Most of the intelligence community doesn't believe she exists. The ones that do call her the Winter Soldier. She's a ghost..." As Anna discovers, the Winter Soldier is in fact a ghost, in more ways than one. (Marvel Cinematic Universe AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Soooo...Hey all. Guess what movie I saw recently? XD Anyways, this is probably crazy, and I'm not sure there would even be interest in this sort of thing, but I figured I'd give it a shot, you know? :)**

**Spoilers for Captain America: The Winter Soldier**

**Disney owns Frozen, Marvel owns Cap, etc. etc.**

**Winter Soldier**

* * *

The adrenaline is still coursing through her veins, in spite of the fact that the entire world seems to have come to a standstill. Her breath catches in her throat, and it's _painful,_ because her body is telling her _no, no, breathe, we need air, we need air…_

But she can't. She _can't._ She's struggling to make sense of the figure before her, struggling to accept this enemy who wears her dead sister's face.

A ragged breath finally _does_ manage to force its way into her lungs. And suddenly she can manage words.

"Elsa," Anna had intended for it to be a question, but somewhere between the thought and the word, she'd realized that there _was_ no question. It is Elsa. Has to be. It's been so _long_ (but then, what is time to someone like Anna?) but no amount of time could make Elsa a stranger. No amount of time could make Anna _forget._

The figure straightens. The light catches the metallic appendage. Anna thinks, _why, why, why_? There's a flicker, somewhere in the fierce blue eyes that otherwise regard her with cold indifference. The oh-so-familiar features twist into an expression of blank confusion.

"Who the hell is Elsa?"

...

**A/N: Very short, I know, I know. But! Thinking I'll probably continue it. Maybe. I dunno. I'm indecisive. You think it's a good idea? Yes? No? Let me know in a review, maybe. *hint, hint* *nudge, nudge***


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, so, funny story. I posted this, and then got all self-conscious and sort of like, avoided checking on it. I didn't receive any email notifications about reviews, so I figured, 'oh great, no one likes this, it's just too weird, it's not going to work...' and then, after a few days of thinking myself to be a horrible failure, I decided, 'aw, what the heck. _I_ like this crossover, so I'm gonna just post these random lil' one-shots as I write 'em.' **

**Then I logged on to my account. And hey, look! Reviews. (Yep. Forgot to add to my email. They were all sitting in my spam folder.)**

**Basically, that's a long, drawn-out way of saying, _thank you guys for reviewing, and sorry I was lame and didn't check my actual profile._  
**

**So, apologies...this is kinda...out of order? As I was not expecting people to get on board with this story. But! Now that I know there is interest, I'll try and rework it into a linear story line. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Frozen. Or Captain America. **

**Winter Soldier**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

She doesn't remember the fall.

She doesn't remember anything, really. To say she 'remembers' is to say there is a cohesive, linear timeline that runs between her thoughts. That is not the case—any and all memories are fractured, broken. They move out of order. She can't tell what is memory and what isn't.

Occasionally, she remembers snow.

Cold and bright, stretching out in every direction. Red paints the snow at her left side.

Sometimes it's a voice in her head. Thick with an accent she can't place. _The procedure has already begun._

There is nothing else.

But seeing the slight, red-haired woman throws everything into chaos.

The voice buzzes louder, the visions of snow more incessant. Somehow, the woman is _familiar._ But how is that possible, when she herself possesses no _memories?_

"I knew her," she tells Westergard. And she wants to hold on to that, because there is nothing else in the dark corners of her mind. Nothing to fill the frightening, empty gaps that reside there.

"You encountered her on a prior mission," he explains. But that isn't true. She _knows_ it isn't true. Because short term memory…that's different. Of _course_ she can remember her last mission…can't she? She pauses, eyes wide and glassy. Yes, yes she can recall the last mission. Maybe. Vaguely.

Had she seen her then?

"Nothing has changed," he says. "You'll continue on with the miss—"

"_But I knew her!"_ She yells, angry. Irrationally so.

Westergard frowns. Says something about trying again. There is a soft-spoken protest, _she's been in and out of cryo...compromise functionality..._ Westergard pauses, considering.

"Clean sweep." he orders finally. A lab tech reaches forward and pushes her back in the chair. She's still shocked by her own outburst—did it really matter, that she knew this woman somehow? She doesn't have the mental strength to resist.

There's a flash of something, before the mechanism is lowered, before it clamps painfully against her temples. The young woman. Smiling. Ice skates in hand.

_Wanna build a snowman?_

The machine flares to life.

She screams.

* * *

**Well! There ya have it. Was it good? Bad? Sorta 'meh?' Let me know in a review! (Or don't, that's totally cool too.)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you to all who have reviewed and/or followed! Much appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: Disney owns Frozen. Marvel owns Cap. (And Disney owns Marvel so I suppose I could just leave it at Disney owns everything, which is pretty accurate. XD )**

**Winter Soldier**

**Chapter 3**

* * *

_**March, 1942**_

"C'mon, Elsa, it'll be _fun."_ Anna insisted, practically _shoving_ the newspaper in her face. "We never go out and _do_ anything, you're always working, _I'm_ always working, and—"

"Anna—"

"_Please?_"

Elsa frowned at her younger sister, and then at the newspaper. Howard Stark's face stared back, his smile charming and easy, as though he too were trying to persuade her.

And of course, she _wanted_ to say yes to Anna. She wanted to do things, have a life outside of work. Be social. Normal.

Unfortunately, normal wasn't really an option.

"I don't think so, Anna," she said quietly, shaking her head. "I don't think I'll be able to get time off of work—"

"You will! I mean, you already have, sort of…" Anna fidgeted guiltily. Elsa narrowed her eyes, not liking that look.

"Anna, what did you—"

"I _maybe_ told your boss we were going to visit a sick relative this weekend." Anna smiled sheepishly. "Aunt Edna's come down with an awful cold, you know." Elsa blinked at her, anger flaring dangerously in her chest.

_Calm down. Calm down. Breathe._

She didn't speak until she was sure she had it under control. "That's…you can't…we need the money—"

"No we don't! I mean, well, of course we do, but we _have_ it, see? I picked up a few extra shifts this last week…so, okay, I'll admit it right now, I wasn't at the library studying late, okay? I lied. Sorry. I'm a terrible person. But! We have enough to cover rent, _and_ some spare pocket change for the expo, so please?!Come _on_ Elsa, don't tell me I did all that extra work for _nothing!"_ Anna clasped her hands together, not caring that she'd crumpled the newspaper in the process. _"Please?!"_

Elsa opened her mouth. She was so ready to say _no,_ so ready to make up some excuse, throw some sort of wrench in Anna's plan. _Because it was too big a risk, if something happened in such a large crowd…_

Instead, the words, 'alright, fine.' stumbled out, and Anna _squealed_ with delight, momentarily forgetting (or perhaps ignoring) Elsa's aversion to physical contact and throwing her arms around her older sister. Ecstatic cries of _thank you, thank you, this is gonna be aces!_ filled Elsa's ears, and Anna's joy was so infectious, she almost believed that it would be.

Almost.

As Elsa expected, the Expo was crowded. Great masses of people moved throughout the fairgrounds, bumping, pushing, shoving…just standing a little too close for Elsa's comfort, really.

She kept her arms tucked tightly at her sides, in complete contrast to Anna, who gestured broadly and wildly at any and every exhibit. She dragged Elsa along, excitedly and somewhat breathlessly explaining each display they passed.

"—I think I read something about it in the _Post_ the other day, it's done with repulsor technology and—oh, wait, sorry, am I…I mean, I hope I'm not boring you, or anything," Anna came to an abrupt halt. Elsa stumbled into her, but she was careful to keep her arms pulled to her sides.

"N-no," Elsa assured her, forcing a smile. She wished she wasn't so _nervous,_ because really, she was _fascinated_ by all of this. She liked to think that…had things turned out a little differently…she might've pursued some sort of career in science. Or math. She liked the tidiness of numbers…the neat way they all worked together, formed logical patterns. "You aren't boring me."

"Oh, really? Good. Great, even!" Anna beamed. "Sorry, it's just…you know, the other girls at school…they say I ramble a little, that I talk too much. I just sort of figured…"

"You don't ramble," Elsa told her firmly, her smile a bit more relaxed and natural. "You're just…passionate?"

Anna snorted.

"Well, that's _one_ way of putting it." Elsa was going to press the matter, and tell Anna, _no, no, really_,but her sister was already off again, pulling her past suits built for walking on the moon (ha!) and an oven that supposedly worked via 'microwaves' (whatever those were.)

They stopped at the edge of a particularly dense crowd, and for a moment, Elsa was sure Anna would pull them off in another direction, as they were effectively blocked by the mass of bodies. Instead, Anna pushed forward, griping Elsa's wrist tightly enough for concern to flare at the back of her mind. The back of her mind, because the _front_ of her mind was currently preoccupied with all these _people._

They were too close. _Far_ too close. She could feel their warm breath on her skin, could hear their shouts of protest loud and clear and _close, too close, too close…_

Panic rose in her chest, cold and constricting. She had to force herself to breathe evenly, to keep her eyes trained on Anna, _just don't think about them, just don't think about them…_

She was just about to _lose it_ when they finally, _finally_ stumbled out at the front of the crowd, the space suddenly cooler, less oppressive.

"Whoo, that was rough, sorry," Anna said offhandedly. "But, you know me, too short to see anything…had to get us a good spot!" She turned to offer an apologetic smile, and only then realized that Elsa was…not looking too good. "Oh, oh gosh, _Elsa,_ are you alri—"

"Please Welcome, _HOWARD STARK!"_ The crowd suddenly burst into applause, drowning out Anna's concerned questioning. It was for the best, really. Elsa could feel several pairs of eyes on her, and it was making her even _more_ uncomfortable, if that was possible. She waved Anna off with a lopsided smile.

"I'm fine," she mouthed, knowing it would be futile, to try and yell over the roar of the crowd.

To show Anna that she was perfectly alright, she turned her attention to the stage, silently willing her heart rate to return to normal. Focusing on something else helped.

A tall, thin man strode out onto the stage, where several scantily clad girls in coattails and top hats waited for him beside a polished, pristine Plymouth with a flashy red paint job.

He grabbed the microphone and spouted some promotional jargon about Stark Industries—Elsa had to wonder why Anna dragged them over here. Her sister wasn't really one for cars, as far as she knew.

Mr. Stark answered her unspoken question with a wave of his hand and a casual remark about cars never having to touch the road. The girls on stage promptly removed the white wall tires to reveal blocky metal mechanisms positioned beneath the wheel wells. And then, Elsa understood.

Repulsor technology.

The two sisters watched, transfixed, as Mr. Stark operated a control panel and the car began to rise. Just a few inches at first, the car a touch unsteady, but then leveling and gaining some sort of stability. It was about a foot and a half off the ground, before the panel went on the fritz, and the car dropped heavily to the stage.

"I did say experimental technology, didn't I?" Mr. Stark joked, and the crowd responded with a good natured laugh.

Elsa and Anna stared a moment longer, both amazed. Slowly, they turned to face each other.

They simultaneously broke into grins.

"That was incredible!" Anna cried. "Right?"

"It was," Elsa agreed, a little less enthusiastic than Anna, but breathless nonetheless. "You said you read about it in the _Post?"_

"Yeah! I kept the article, if you want to read it."

"I do," Elsa said. She really did. This, tonight…it was bringing back long-dead interests and ambitions that Elsa had all but forgotten. A future in science had not been possible back home—it had never been possible, really, but made especially unlikely after the…incident. Things had looked brighter, once they relocated to America. And for a time, Elsa entertained the thought that maybe, somewhere down the line, she'd be able to pursue her studies…maybe make a living out of it.

Then Mama and Papa died. There had only been enough money to pay for one of them to go to school, so…

"It's quieter than I thought, though," Anna commented, pulling Elsa back to the present. "The machines, I mean."

"Hmm? Oh." Elsa nodded absently. "Right. Yes."

"But that makes sense, you know. Given the way the reactors are set up and—" Elsa was trying to listen, but a commotion had broken out somewhere behind them. Incoherent shouts rose up, and grew steadily closer. Anna was saying something about _potential applications_ when a large, heavy object collided solidly with Elsa's shoulder.

_THUD._

The two fell forward, Elsa so caught off guard that she barely had time to throw her hands out in front of her. Her palms slapped painfully against the pavement, and to her utter horror, a thin sheet of frost spiraled out from beneath her fingertips.

Anna was shouting at the stranger who had bumped into her—a large man who, judging by the smell of him, was a tad inebriated—but he wasn't listening. He was slurring some sort of obscenity at Elsa, squinting, trying to get a fix on her face.

"_Hey,"_ he grumbled, low and deliberate. "_Hey. You 'r in…m'way."_

Elsa was hardly listening. Her eyes were locked on the frost that was still creeping across the ground, in spite of the fact that she'd snatched her hands away the minute she saw the ice unfurl. She curled her hands tight against her chest, trying to hide the faint blue glow. She hunched low, eyeing the man beside her, _willing _him to get up and stagger off.

"_Hey. Hey, m' talkin' to yooou,"_ he said. Faintly, over the pounding in her head, she heard Anna calling for someone, anyone to deal with him. "_I'm…saaaaay, wassat?"_ He reached forward to grab her hand.

Elsa reacted reflexively. She jerked backwards, landing against someone _else_ standing too close. They yelled, something about _watch it!_ And the ice was _spreading,_ they had to leave. The drunk was getting louder, more pushy, more _nosy._

She forced herself to her feet, searching frantically for Anna. _Where was she? Had she really gone that far?_ She very nearly wept with relief as her eyes fell on the familiar, slight frame of her sister a ways off. She was trying to get the attention of a stocky man in a smartly pressed uniform to come over, to deal with the outburst.

Elsa had to tell herself not to run as she hurried over to Anna. When she was close enough, she grabbed Anna's arm, mumbling an apology to the man before rushing off in the opposite direction of the crowd.

"Whoa, what are you—Elsa!" Anna's face was flushed with concern. "Are you alright? I was trying to find help, I'm so sorry—"

"It's fine, Anna. I just fell, is all." It _wasn't_ fine, but she certainly didn't need to let Anna know that. She glanced over her shoulder, trying to gauge whether or not anyone was following them. "Let's just…let's just go home, alright?"

"Wait, what?" Anna tugged her arm loose, much to Elsa's dismay. (Actually, maybe this was better…her hands were no longer glowing, but they still felt a bit cold, in her opinion. And there was no guarantee her powers wouldn't flair up again, given her current stress level.) "You want to leave? But we just got here! Don't let that ol' fat-head ruin our night—"

"Let's just," Elsa interrupted her, "go _home."_

"_No,_" Anna planted her feet and squared her shoulders. She crossed her arms and frowned. Elsa's eyes widened in surprise. "Elsa, _come on,_ we were having a good time! We can still have a good time! I worked all week, so that we could, I don't know, actually _do_ something, instead of spend all day cooped up in the apartment, or at work, or at school—"

"I'm sorry, but I just—I don't want to stay—"

"Because some guy tripped and you fell? Elsa, it was nothing!"

"No it wasn't!"

"What?! You just said—"

"Enough, Anna!"

"No, really Elsa, what was so bad that you—"

"I said _enou—"_

"_Ther…ther they aare…"_ Elsa's head snapped up, and Anna whirled to face the small group of men who had suddenly materialized behind them. (Quiet, for a bunch of staggering drunks.) Elsa immediately stiffened, and Anna visibly tensed.

"Uh…hiya, fellas." Her voice was tight with nerves. Behind her, Elsa was silently cursing the fact that they'd wandered away from the well-lit and densely crowded fairway.

_Your fault,_ Elsa quietly scolded herself. _Wanted to get away from people? Well, here you are._

"_Thassa girl that tripped me up,"_ The man at the front said. Both Anna and Elsa recognized him, if not by sight, then certainly by smell. "_Did somethin' funny with'er handss."_

"We're just curious, ya see," One of the other men interrupted. He seemed a bit less drunk than his pal, which made him a bit more dangerous, in Anna's opinion. "My buddy claims you made some kinda _ice_ or something. We told him he was crazy. So, you know, be a chum and settle a bet for us, huh?"

"I didn't _do_ anything," Elsa told him, thankful that her voice came out strong and clear, not even hinting at how frightened she truly was. "Your friend is _very_ drunk, I suggest you get him home and—"

"_Liar!"_ The man yelled, stepping forward. Anna placeed herself between him and Elsa, forming a kind of human shield. "_I know what I saw!"_

"Whoa there, guy," Anna shouted, hoping it would draw someone's attention. They could use some assistance, right about now. "Let's just back off, huh?" But the man could not be dissuaded.

"_Liar! Makin' me look bad!"_ And now Anna was _really_ worried, because he was coming closer now, and his friends were _laughing_, not making any attempt to stop him, and could they run? Could they outrun him? Anna looked around. It was just so _dark,_ and even if they could pick their way through the thick blackness of late evening, Elsa looked like she wasn't about to _move_ anytime soon, she was standing so still, eyes fixed on the man before them.

"Els—"

The man dove forward, reaching around Anna to grab Elsa's wrist. Both girls cried out as he tugged Elsa forward.

"Let go!" She yelled, somewhat hysterically. She tried to pull her arm away.

"Leave her alone!" Anna aimed a punch at the man's side, only to have him shove her backwards with his free hand. She staggered back and landed among some trash bins and cardboard boxes. _"Unff."_

"_Show 'em!"_ The man barked at Elsa, his face mere inches from her own. She gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the tears forming in her eyes.

"I didn't _do_ anything!" She shouted back, still trying to pull free. "You're crazy!"

"_Stop lyin'!"_ His grip on her wrist tightened, his fingers pressing hard enough to bruise. And he was just so _close_ and her wrist was throbbing and she could _feel_ the ice steadily rising to the surface of her skin—

She hauled back and punched him in the face.

Her fist connected solidly with his nose. There was a horrible feeling of flesh and cartilage under her knuckles. He let loose a shriek, and, with an angry grunt, all but _threw_ her aside. She landed hard on the pavement, her temple catching the side of one of the trash bins.

She momentarily saw stars.

After that, the world faded in and out of focus. The men sounded blessedly far away, their voices barely intelligible. Anna's voice was thrown in the mix now too, and there was a faint clattering of metal. It was hard to decipher, over the persistent ringing, but something about leaving them the hell alone?

Colors and shapes blurred together. Were the men coming, or going? Going, it looked like. Anna was crouched low, holding some sort of…shield? No, no, trash can lid. No, wait, what?

A lone figure stood a little ways off, and she struggled to make sense of it all (if that darn _ringing_ would just let up, then she might be able to focus.) They came closer, closer, until they were standing beside Anna, and then they were helping her up…

"I've alerted the authorities," he was saying, voice tinged with an accent that was hard to place. German, maybe? "I've also called for an ambulance—but there are some first aid supplies at the recruitment center, if you'll help me—"

"Right. Of course. Yeah." Anna's voice was close, and for once, Elsa didn't mind. In fact, she felt better, knowing that Anna was near. Knowing that Anna was _safe._ "_Thank you,_ mister…?"

"Dr. Erskine," the man supplied, and then, somewhat cryptically added, "And no, my dear. _Thank you."_

* * *

**A/N: So, yes, longer chapter this time! Hopefully worth the wait. Gonna aim for weekend updates from now on, try and be regular and such. Anyways! Did you enjoy the chapter? Yes? No? Maybe? Let me know with a review! (Or not. That is totally cool too.) (Also the tense change between chapters is deliberate. Hope it wasn't confusing!)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! Apologies for the delay, this chapter was giving me some trouble. Had to rewrite it a few times. **

**Also! Thanks to all who have reviewed/faved/followed! Much appreciated. Apologies for not responding individually just yet, a little swamped with other things at the moment...hopefully once my schedule clears, I can be better about keeping up with 'em, and such. :)**

**Disclaimer: Disney owns all. **

**Winter Soldier**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

"It's cold in here," Anna complained with a thin smile, mustering up an exaggerated shudder. Elsa frowned. "Or is it just me?"

"No," Elsa replied stiffly. "Not just you." It wasn't quite a lie. It was entirely possible that the large room really was cold, but if it was, Elsa would have no way of knowing.

"I mean, the _least_ they could do is maybe warm the place up a bit, you know?" Anna continued lightheartedly, though this time the shudder was real. Her shirt was doing little to combat the chilly air, the hair on her arms standing straight up. Elsa worried briefly that it was her doing—she was so anxious, she was having a hard time keeping the ice in check—but a passing technician overheard Anna, and explained that the room had to be kept at a cool temperature, to prevent the equipment from overheating. Elsa visibly relaxed, though her fists were still clenched at her sides.

"Are you alright?" Anna asked quietly as the technician wandered off. Elsa nodded. Then shook her head. Then nodded again.

"I don't know," she admitted. Then, with a weak laugh, she added, "Why are you worried about _me?_ I'm not the one strapped to a…a…" She gestured to the strange contraption on which Anna now sat. It vaguely resembled a medical exam table, but panels of metal and scads of wiring protruded from the sides, making it look less like something one would find in a hospital, and more like something one might find in an issue of _Strange Tales_. "I don't see how you can be so _calm._ Aren't you…aren't you the least bit afraid?" she asked, dropping her voice.

Anna waved off her concern.

"Psssh, me? _Naw._" It was very convincing. Elsa would've believed her younger sister, had it not been for the slightest flicker of doubt in her light green eyes. So Elsa fixed her with a skeptical glare, and after a few moments, Anna caved. "Alright…yeah. A little." She said, dropping her gaze to her hands. She fidgeted, twining her fingers together, kicking her bare feet.

Elsa felt her fingers twitch. She wanted to reassure Anna, to rush forward and hug her, tell her she didn't have to do this. They could just leave…find some other way to…to…'fight the fine fight' or aid the effort or whatever it was Anna was trying to accomplish here.

But Elsa's arms remained at her sides, the threat of her powers keeping them firmly in place. She tried to ignore the faint look of hurt on Anna's features.

"Elsa?" both sisters jumped, startled by Dr. Erskine's sudden presence. "We're nearly finished. Would you care to head upstairs?" He gestured towards the viewing platform above, and though she didn't really _want_ to, Elsa found herself nodding, moving away from Anna's side.

"Right. Yes, of course."

Anna watched her go, feeling irrationally lonely. They were, what, fifty feet apart, maybe? And yet Anna felt completely isolated, in the middle of this room filled with people.

She shook her head. _Snap out of it._ She ordered herself.

Dr. Erskine instructed for her to lie back. She did as she was told, the vinyl cold against her exposed arms. A young woman clad in a white lab coat stepped forward and snaked a series of restrains across her wrists and torso. Anna eyed them warily.

Dr. Erskine saw the look, and mistook it for apprehension. "Are you ready?" he asked, though the question was moot—regardless of whether or not Anna was prepared, this was happening. Right here. Right now.

"I was _born_ ready," Anna insisted, and she would have offered a thumbs up, has she been able to move her arms.

Dr. Erskine chuckled, turning his attention to a man standing just a ways off.

"And you, Mr. Stark?" he asked.

"Ready as we'll ever be," he answered.

As the technicians swarmed into place, readying themselves at control panels and the like, Anna took deep, steady breaths. _You are so ready for this. Like you said, you were __**born**__ ready._ She kept her eyes trained on the ceiling overhead, occasionally glancing at the afore-mentioned viewing platform, where grim-faced, suit clad men watched the activity below, seated comfortably behind a thick pane of glass.

A flash of pale blond hair caught her attention. Elsa. Her sister wore a crooked smile, and sort of half waved. Anna grinned back, sort of wiggling her fingers in an effort to return the gesture.

"Ladies and gentleman," Dr. Erskine's voice filled the vast space, amplified with the aid of a microphone. "Today, we take not another step towards annihilation, but the first step toward the path to peace," Anna listened intently, glad there was now something to focus on, besides her own growing anxiety.

"We'll begin with a series of micro injections into the subject's major muscle groups," Dr. Erskine explained as several nurses wheeled out a bulky storage container. The lid was pushed back to reveal a row of gleaming vials, the blue liquid within shimmering under the harsh fluorescent lights. Another nurse approached Anna once more, lowering two final restraints into place. They pressed heavily against her collarbone. She winced.

"These injections will result in immediate molecular change," Dr. Erskine went on. From the viewing platform above, Elsa watched, her breathing tight and shallow. The man seated next to her eyed her with concern. She wanted to tug at the starched collar of her blouse, loosen the tie around her neck, shrug off the constricting uniform jacket, anything to make it easier to _breathe._ But she also didn't want to cause a scene, so she clasped her hands together and focused on the doctor's voice. "To stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with vita-rays."

Down below, Anna tensed as someone pressed a needle into her upper arm. A pinprick of pain. And then, "Hey. That wasn't so bad."

"That was penicillin," the doctor responded.

Anna grimaced.

"Serum infusion, beginning in five,"

Two panels swung forward, settling over her arms. She could feel the tips of multiple needles now, sitting lightly on the surface of her skin.

"Four,"

Elsa bit the inside of her lip. _Don't feel. Don't feel._

"Three," Dr. Erskine placed a hand on Anna's shoulder.

"Two…one…"

Someone flipped a switched. The vials perched on either side of the table began to drain, the blue liquid spiraling through tubes, rushing towards Anna. The panels bit down hard on her arms, the needles pushing under her skin. She hissed, but bit her lip to keep from yelping. No way she wanted to _yelp_ in front of those macho military guys.

"Now, Mr. Stark." Dr. Erskine commanded, once the vials were empty. Stark nodded, turning a nob on one of the nearest control panels.

The table swung upright, the metal panels surrounding the device sliding into place around Anna's prone form. Though her vantage point was somewhat limited, what with being strapped down and all, Anna momentarily found herself comparing the metal cocoon to pictures of Egyptian sarcophagi, found in some of Papa's books.

She wondered if Elsa was thinking the same thing.

The metal closed with a resounding thud, and Anna found herself encased in darkness, save for the hazy light that filtered through a small window just above her eye line.

Someone knocked on the glass. _Tap, tap, tap._

"Anna?" Dr. Erskine called. And she understood the implication. _Are you alright? Are you sure about this?_

_Do you still want to proceed?_

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here. I'm good." She said, her own voice sounding funny, metallic and distorted, like talking into a tin can telephone.

Dr. Erskine said something she couldn't make out. She waited, tense and shaken, adrenaline flooding her system. Oh, yeah, and super soldier serum too, apparently.

Something clicked. Whirred. Roared to life. Light flooded the interior of the capsule, so bright and intense and _sudden_ that she had to close her eyes.

"Forty percent," Stark yelled over the noise of the machine. The lights overhead dimmed as the light from the machine grew brighter. A few light bulbs burst.

"Vital signs normal!" Someone reported.

"Fifty percent," Stark called. "Sixty, seventy…"

Anna yelled.

Loud. Pained. Raw.

Elsa gripped the arms of her chair, sitting forward.

"Shut it down," she rasped, so quietly that no one heard. Panic rising, she tried again. "Shut it down!" she begged.

The technicians mirrored her panic, rushing to and fro, checking panels, wondering what was going wrong. Dr. Erskine shouted for Stark to halt the procedure, but another yell from Anna sounded.

"No!" it was clear. Still raw and pained, but commanding nonetheless. _"I can do this!"_

"N-ninety," Stark stammered out, "One…one hundred percent!"

Lights were blinking. Alarms were sounding. More bulbs burst as the machine reached some sort of climax and then, all at once, it stopped.

The noise died off. What lights remained returned to full brightness, contrasting the interior of the machine, which had now grown dark. A tense moment of silence followed, broken by the hiss of metal panels sliding back.

Steam, or smoke, or…_something_ spilled out onto the platform, and the technicians rushed forward.

Elsa found herself running too. Taking the stairs two at a time, hesitating briefly at the crowd of bodies, only to dive forward, more concerned for Anna than fearful for herself.

"Anna," she cried, coughing a bit as the smell of electrical fire reached nose. "Anna, what—"

"It didn't _work._" Stark was saying, and Dr. Erskine looked more puzzled than dismayed. But Elsa didn't particularly care about _them._ She pressed forward and found Anna slumped, held up by two nurses looking a bit spent and sweaty, still her somewhat scrawny, skinny self.

"How do you feel?" someone asked.

"Short," Anna answered, clearly dismayed.

And Elsa was torn. On the one hand, she was so very, _very_ glad to find Anna unharmed, unchanged. But on the other, she knew how much this meant to her. Knew that Anna wanted fiercely to do her part, protect others, make everyone proud. That was why Elsa had agreed to go along with this whole thing—it was Anna's one condition, that Elsa be brought on the project with her.

"I don't know about that," the Colonel had said, narrowing his eyes and pursing his lips. But Anna had crossed her arms. Took on a regal expression.

"Either it's both," she said, "Or neither."

And of course the Colonel had to agree, Dr. Erskine had said she was the one, the one who was going to make this project more than just lines of text on paper. So Elsa had been enlisted along with Anna, issued a stiff uniform, and a meaningless rank. (Because really, what was she going to _do?_ She was a secretary, for crying out loud.) But Elsa had allowed it, in spite of her misgivings, for reasons so complicated and confusing that Elsa herself couldn't find the proper words to describe them.

"I don't understand," Dr. Erskine's muttered words pulled Elsa from her reverie. "There should have at _least_ been a slight change in muscle tone—"

"What's going on here, Doc?" the Colonel barked, worn face pinched into an angry frown.

"I…I'm not sure," Dr. Erskine stammered, looking past the imposing man towards the far corner of the room, near the stairs. His attention was fixed on a nondescript gentleman, dressed in a smartly tailored suit, dark hair slicked to one side.

He was loitering near a storage container. The one that held the serum.

Even in her scrambled state, Anna noticed the doctor's gaze. She huffed, and turned to see what he was looking at. Suspicion began to creep through the back of her mind, temporarily eclipsing her crushing disappointment. "That's," she wheezed. "That's weird, right? He's being _weird."_

That was all the confirmation the doctor needed. "You!" he yelled. The man fiddled with a cigarette lighter, seemingly unbothered by Dr. Erskine's accusatory tone. He flipped it open. Fingered the igniter. "What did you d—"

A click. A pause. And then the world lit up, glass shattered, flames roared overhead.

An explosion.

* * *

**Yes, yes, lame way to end a chapter, I know, but I had to split it so as to get _something_ posted. Anyways! Still liking this story? Thoughts? Opinions? Let me know in a review, if you feel so inclined. (Totally cool if you don't want to.) Also, I feel I should mention this...this fic is not Elsanna. Just...clarifying that. If anything, it will eventually be Kristanna, so...yes. Anyways. Carry on. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys! Again, sorry for the delayed update. Had some other things to take care of. As a result, this chapter is a little rushed and light on character stuff. Hopefully still enjoyable though. As always, thank you to those who reviewed, faved, & followed! :)**

**Disclaimer: Disney owns everything. **

**Winter Soldier**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

_It didn't work._

She pushed past the technicians, the scientists, the nurses. Vaulted over the hunched form of Elsa, tried to block out the image of the unmoving figure of Dr. Erskine next to her.

_It didn't work._

She took the stairs two at a time, her breathing fast, her muscles responding with an efficiency that was entirely unfamiliar.

_It didn't work._

The stranger with the slicked-back hair was making quite a commotion, she could see that much as she ran past shattered windows and the slumped forms of MPs clutching shoulders, arms, legs. When she stumbled out into the crowded street above, she was worried she'd lost him. She looked left and right, trying to spot that grey suit of his.

_Where'd he go? Where'd he—_

The squeal of tires made her turn. A bright yellow taxi cab barreled down the street at what was surely an unsafe speed.

The stranger glowered at her through the dirt-smudged windshield.

_It didn't work,_ she reminded herself as she sprang out of the way, landing solidly on the roof of the cab. Her bare feet throbbed a little, but she was otherwise unharmed.

_Yeah, I'm thinking maybe…we were a bit hasty in that assessment._

It was strange. She didn't _feel_ any different, and the lord knew she didn't _look_ any different…but here she was, crouched on the roof of the cab, not even the slightest bit winded from all the activity.

An amazed smile worked its way across her features, only to turn into an alarmed frown as the car took a sudden swerve, and she was tossed from her precarious position.

Her training took over as she tumbled to the asphalt, her legs curling instinctively beneath her. More car horns blared, tires squealed, people screamed. She fully expected a hard knock on the noggin and then _fwump,_ that would be it. Instead, she rolled and sprang to her feet, limbs seeming to know what to do, which was for the best, as she was pretty much making this up as she went along.

_Okay, okay,_ she told herself as she took off at a flat-out sprint after the cab, making sure she kept her eyes on the vehicle as it sporadically wove through side streets and traffic. _So…so it worked. You're…stronger. Faster. And apparently harder to take down._

She_ flew_ past pedestrians, calling out apologies as they threw themselves out of her way. "Sorry!"

One man in a trench coat didn't move fast enough, and Anna had to change course suddenly. She veered a bit too far to the left and, not at all used to this new-found speed and strength, ran right through a store window.

"Oh, gosh, I…sorry! Sorry about that!" She yelled as she stumbled back out, grimly noting that, _okay, yeah, you're fast and strong and a bit quicker on the uptake…but still a little clumsy. _

The cab was turning down Seventh. It was far enough ahead of her that Anna momentarily panicked, until she spotted a nearby alleyway.

Ignoring the shocked stares of the people around her, she took off once more, feet pounding against the pavement.

"Ah-_ha!"_ She exclaimed as the cab whizzed past the other end of the alley.

And then she noticed the chain-link fence.

She was moving too fast to slow up and climb it. Either she was going through it, or over it. Preferring the latter to the former, given her recent (literal) run-in with the store front, she gritther her teeth and closed her eyes. (Which, in hindsight, was probably a terrible idea.) She bent her knees and _jumped—_

Her foot scraped against the top of the fence but, miraculously, she cleared it.

She landed solidly on the other side and was so very tempted to let out a triumphant yell, but she had other things to attend to.

Namely, the stranger.

She ran out into traffic once more, dodging the cars as best she could. And finally, _finally,_ the cab pulled out onto a straight stretch of road. She spotted it, and, with a huff, pushed her legs as fast as they could carry her.

_Time to see what I can do…_

She was _fast._ Unbelievably _fast._ She passed a car. Two. Three. There came a point where the cars were getting in the _way;_ they were going too slow_._ And she couldn't help it—she laughed. She knew the situation was hardly the appropriate time for it, but, here she was. Small, gawky Anna, jumping over cars.

She wondered if it was maybe hysterical laughter.

She didn't have time to decide, as she came up on the cab. Taking a deep breath, she threw herself back onto the roof, and made sure to get a better grip this time around.

The metal thudded dully beneath her, and she knew the man must've heard. A bullet through the roof confirmed her suspicions, and she jerked back in an effort to avoid the volley of gunshots that followed. Which was a bit harder than she expected, actually, as the taxi was now careening wildly—they were down by the docks. Not exactly the best place for a leisurely drive, let alone something like this.

Another gunshot tore through the roof. Anna threw her arm to the side, just as the cab took a sharp turn. She started to tumble off.

_Nope, _she thought, expression fierce._ Not this time._

She grabbed at the door, snaking an arm through the passenger side window. Her feet settled on the running board.

_HA!_

She hadn't meant to say that out loud, but she must have. The stranger looked over, eyes wide and wild, as he drew his gun again.

Anna wasn't sure if he managed to fire off another shot or if he only had time to aim, because in an instant, she was thrown forward and up, the car flipping beneath her, a jarring impact shuddering through its frame as it slammed into an oncoming truck.

Everything spun. Colors blurred, the ground and sky switched places too many times for Anna to count. By the time she managed to make it to her feet, she wasn't entirely sure _where_ she was, or where the cab had ended up, for that matter.

She shook her head, waited for her vision to clear. Only, she didn't really have the luxury. Her bleary eyes saw movement a ways off. A grey suit. A raised arm.

Adrenaline pushed her forward. She dove and blindly grabbed at—what was that, was that a car door?—and hunched behind it, arms jarring slightly as each bullet embedded itself in the yellow metal. People were screaming again.

Anna didn't blame them.

"No, my son!" someone shouted. Anna stuck her head out from behind her makeshift shield and winced. The man had acquired a shield of his own—a small, red haired kid in overalls. He hoisted the boy up, waving his weapon menacingly.

"Stay back!" He called to the crowd. A man struggled to hold a woman still—Anna had to assume it was the boy's mother.

She tossed the car door aside and cautiously jogged closer to the crowd. The man shot again, but it was clear he was no longer taking care as to where he pointed the gun. It went wide, hitting the brick exterior of a nearby building. Anna ducked regardless, worried that if she was too bold, if she moved too fast, he'd turn the gun on the kid.

He moved closer to the docks, clearly a bit more occupied now that he had an uncooperative passenger on his hands. Anna crouched low, flinching slightly as another shot caught a drainpipe.

"Lemme go!" The boy shouted as the man ducked behind a corner. Anna sprinted forward, afraid she'd lose them. Carefully, cautiously, she rounded the building, stopping short at the sight of the man holding the barrel of the gun close to the boy's temple.

"Don't shoot!" She begged, throwing her hands up.

The man grinned, and turned the gun on her.

She stared at the flat grey metal, waiting for the sharp _bang_.

Instead, a faint click sounded.

He was out of bullets.

She charged. Realizing his disadvantage, the man growled and spun on his heel, tossing the boy aside as one my toss a newspaper into the trash bin. He tumbled into the water below, and Anna skidded to a halt, worry etched on her face.

But the boy surfaced easily enough, expertly treading water.

"I can swim!" He assured her. "Go get 'im!"

She let out a nervous laugh and obeyed his command, tearing after the man, renewed determination pulsing through her veins.

Of course, she faltered a little, as the man jumped down to the water.

_Wait…did he just—what…?_

But then she saw the weird sort of submarine poking up from the murky surface of the water, and she nearly groaned.

_Really?!_

Sighing, she took in a gulp of air and (praying it wouldn't be _too_ cold) dove in. The water was harsh and unforgiving. _YIKES!_ She thought absently as the chill seeped through her skin. She forced herself to keep moving, eyes stinging. It was nearly impossible to make out anything in the dark depths, but…there. Just ahead of her. A spray of bubbles.

She frantically kicked her feet and paddled her arms, cutting through the water at an impressive speed. Her lungs burned with the effort, wanting to take a breath or two, but she ignored their plea.

The submarine gradually came into view, and she quickly spotted the canopy. Darting forward, she latched onto the back, much as she had with the cab, and aimed a hasty punch at the glass.

It shattered under her fist, and she watched, slightly horrified, as the interior filled. The man thrashed in his seat. She tore the canopy away—she didn't want to _kill_ him. Quite the opposite, actually. She needed answers.

So she grabbed him by his jacket and kicked towards the surface. With a mighty heave, she tossed him towards what she hoped was the dock.

"Argh!" she heard him yell as she pushed her head out of the water. She clambered up after him, and was relieved to see him slumped on the pavement, the fight having gone out of him.

Wheezing slightly (less from the effort, more from the recent lack of air) she gripped his lapels and held him so that he was facing her.

"Who are you?" she barked, shaking him. A single glass vial fell from an interior pocket, shattering on the ground beside him. He stared at it for a moment, and then turned to face her.

"I am one of many," he intoned, in a voice that made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. He bit something inside his mouth. She shook him again, not liking his answer, but he was foaming at the mouth, his gaze unfocused. _That's not…normal…_

"Cut off one head," he continued through the froth, "Two more grow back in its place."

"What—" And then she realized what was happening, what he'd _done. _And she recalled the chaos back at the lab, recalled the way Dr. Erskine had crumpled in half, how those men and Elsa had been mere minutes away from a fiery end…

Anger, hot and strong, forced her mouth into a thin line. She pulled him closer.

"_Who are you?"_ she demanded again, irrational tears blurring her vision.

He didn't answer her. Well, he _did,_ but it was hardly the answer she wanted.

"Hail Hydra."

* * *

**Ooooh, ominous. (Well, kind of. Not really. Since I assume we're all pretty familiar with Hydra.) Anyways! Good? Bad? Apparently there was some confusion over the last chapter...I apologize if my particular 'style' causes some head-scratching...I'm pretty horrible at writing in a linear, multi-chapter fashion. So, if there's ever anything that doesn't make sense/needs clarification, please let me know! Thanks! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So you know how sometimes, you write yourself into a corner? This is my attempt to get out of that corner. (Never should have made Elsa both Peggy _and_ Bucky.) Anyways, thanks to all who reviewed, faved, followed, etc! As always, I appreciate it.**

**Disclaimer: Disney owns everything, basically. **

**Winter Soldier**

**Chapter 6**

* * *

_Hail Hydra._

It was all Anna could think about, all she could focus on. She told the Colonel. She didn't think it was possible, but the man's sour expression turned…more sour.

"Hmmph." He mumbled, and said no more, much to Anna's confusion.

It was several days later, when Anna received the news. When she was told that she would _not_ be seeing any fighting, or following up on this 'Hydra' business, and would instead be confined to the lab for further tests.

"What?" she asked, disappointment evident in the line of her lips, the twitch of her brows.

"You heard me," The Colonel responded, voice gruff. "I needed an army, and all I got was you. And let me tell you, kid," he leveled a glare at her. "You aren't enough."

He dismissed himself after that, grumbling something about questioning Mr. Stark. She watched him go, shoulders slumping and fists clenching tightly at her sides.

Elsa stood a ways off and said nothing, guilt gnawing at the back of her mind. Because Anna wasn't going anywhere, but _she_ was.

She'd received the orders from the Colonel himself, who'd been just as 'pleasant' the morning when he confronted her.

"The deal was you'd be enlisted right alongside your sister," he reminded her. "These are a bit late, I'll admit, but we weren't sure how long we'd have to…" his voice had trailed off at that point, and Elsa understood exactly what he was too afraid to admit. They'd needed Anna's cooperation. They'd needed her to go through with the procedure. And now that they had what they wanted, there was no reason to continue to 'make nice' with the lab rat.

And so it was that Elsa was shipping out first thing tomorrow.

She wondered if she ought to feel angry, or upset, or frightened.

Honestly?

She just felt cold.

"Heh," Anna laughed, trying to put on a brave face and failing miserably. "Can you believe that guy? Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, eh Elsa?" She looked at her with a kind of defeated expression. Elsa was familiar with it. It was the same confused, hurt look that Anna would take to Papa, late at night, when she'd cry and wonder why her big sister didn't want anything to do with her. _What did I do wrong?_

_Nothing,_ Papa would assure her, but obviously she'd done _something_ to warrant this treatment.

And here she was again, people telling her she'd done her duty, made her country proud. So why was she being sidelined?

Elsa felt another pang of guilt. "Y-yeah," she answered, clearing her throat. "…Anna, I have to—" _I have to go,_ she wanted to say. _Had_ to say.

But a man approached the two of them, interrupting her.

"Say, I couldn't help but overhear your little conversation," he began, his smile wide, but impersonal. "I respectfully disagree with the Colonel there. You don't take a national _symbol,"_ he produced a newspaper, Anna's image splashed across the front page, standing hunched behind a bullet-ridden car door, "and shut it away in a lab."

Then he launched into a grand spiel about patriotism and doing one's part and so on and so forth. Elsa stopped listening about half way through, his tone and demeanor reminding her too much of a smooth-talking salesman who was keen on selling you a defective vacuum cleaner.

But then Anna was shaking his hand, agreeing with him about something, and Elsa forced herself to pay attention.

"Anna_,_ do you want to serve your country, on the most important battle field of them all?"

"Sir," Anna responded politely. She looked so serious—almost uncharacteristically so. "That's…_yes._ Yes I do."

"Well then, congrats," he said, smiling. "You've just been promoted."

He began to outline the details, and Anna nodded enthusiastically, perhaps a bit put off by the task ahead, but enjoying the prospect of _not_ being cooped up in a lab. Elsa waited patiently for them to finish, all the while trying to find the best way to break the news to Anna. Maybe…maybe she'd be so excited about this offer, she'd be…less upset.

Elsa almost laughed. _Sure. Of course._

Eventually the two finished, the man tipping his hat to both Anna and Elsa in turn before leaving, his assistant in tow. Anna looked to her then, breathless and beaming.

"Okay, so it's not London," she said. "It's…well, it's Buffalo, if we're being technical about it, but it's _something."_

When Elsa didn't respond, Anna grew concerned. "Hey…Elsa…it's not…I mean, I don't know a lot about it, but Buffalo can't be _that_ bad—"

"I'm not…" Elsa started. All of the carefully crafted speeches fell apart as she opened her mouth and continued. "I'm not…going with you."

"…What?"

"I'm actually…I'm going along with the Colonel…I've been assigned…they gave me my orders, Anna. You wanted me to come with you, and that's…it's part of the deal."

"No, no it wasn't," Anna told her firmly. "They never said—"

"Of course they never said anything, Anna," Elsa sighed angrily. Anna blinked, taken aback by her sister's tone.

Elsa frowned. She hadn't intended to sound so…harsh. She was just irritated, was all… more with the situation at hand than Anna. (Well, maybe a little irritated with Anna. Her naiveté.) "At least, they weren't going to say anything to upset you. They needed you to…to go along with…" she gestured vaguely at the dimly lit lab.

"But…but they can't—"

"I'm fairly certain they _can,"_ she said, irritation mounting. "I'd rather not go to prison. Or Canada." It was kind of a joke. Or, it would've been, under different circumstances.

Anna didn't laugh. Instead she just…she just looked hurt and confused again. _Another door, slammed in her face._

Elsa frowned. She didn't need this. She didn't need _more_ guilt, _more_ worry. Anything and everything for Anna, right? This was just one more thing. And if Anna couldn't understand that? Well…

That had never made a difference in the past, now had it?

She waited for Anna to shout. The get angry. To realize just _exactly_ what was happening here. But Anna didn't get _mad._ She never got mad. At least, not at Elsa. Hardly ever at Elsa, for as much as she believed she deserved it.

"Elsa, I'm…sorry." She muttered. "I just wanted us to be…I wanted it to be like it was. Before."

Elsa tensed, hugging her arms tightly around her middle. Of course Anna wanted it to be like before. She could only remember so much, but Elsa…

Elsa remembered everything.

She remembered that early morning from long ago. Before the ice was an ever-present danger.

She had disobeyed Papa; he'd told her to keep it hidden.

"But why?" she'd asked, confused. Papa said there was beauty in her gift, that the strange power was something _good._

"People fear what they don't understand," he explained. And Elsa nodded, in spite of the fact that his words made little sense to her eight-year-old mind.

She'd always been so _careful_. She made sure to keep the ice hidden, made sure not to use it where others could see.

But Anna knew. Had known from the start, because there had never been a reason to hide it from her, just as there had never been a reason to hide it from their parents. Anna had loved Elsa's powers, perhaps even more than Elsa did. She begged for snowmen, for flurries, for patches of ice to slip and slide across. Elsa would happily oblige, enjoying the ecstatic smile on her younger sister's face.

"Do the magic!" she'd plead.

"It isn't _magic,"_ Elsa would patiently tell her, fingers already splayed, faintly glowing snowflakes forming between her palms.

"Well then, what is it?"

"…I don't know." And she didn't, but Papa was adamant about the fact that it _wasn't_ magic. So Elsa was too.

There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, that morning in early March. Anna woke first, as she usually did, dragging Elsa out of the comfort of her warm bed, chattering about how there was still snow on the ground (not Elsa's snow, just regular old snow, but it was just as good for sledding) and Elsa followed because what else could she do, really? Anna was three years younger and a good deal smaller, but she was a force to be reckoned with.

So they grabbed their coats. Hats. Boots. Elsa helped Anna with her scarf, the task made somewhat difficult by the fact that her younger sister was _squirming_ with excitement.

"Hold still!" Elsa giggled, and Anna listened. For about five seconds.

Once Elsa was finished, Anna hurried back to their room, and emerged a moment later, a small pair of ice skates slung over her shoulder (a gift from Mama and Papa last _Julaften_, and _Elsa, they'll be perfect for when you make the ice!)_

Out they went into the snow, wandering away from their modest house by the fjord and towards a secluded stretch of shoreline, where the trees were bent and hung low over the water. They built a snowman. (A lopsided creature that wasn't much to look at…Elsa dubbed him 'Olaf.') They made forts and enacted a grand snowball battle, their 'kingdoms' having gone to war. (_Elsa, you be…the Southern Isles…I'll be…Arendelle!_ And Elsa told her those weren't real places, they should just be England and France, but Anna insisted they stick with the made-up names; they sounded better.) They pushed together a few mounds of snow and slipped down the slopes, giggling and flailing and not caring that they were nearly soaked through to the skin with melted snow.

Then Anna suggested skating.

"I'm getting better," she asserted, her goal to be as good as Elsa. "Come on, help me practice!"

"The fjord isn't frozen over," Elsa told her. "We can't skate."

"But _you_ can freeze it,"

"No, I can't, I—"

"Come on, please? Just try!" And Elsa _knew._ She knew it was a bad idea. For one, they were outside, not all that far from the town proper, and small fishing boats were known to be out at this early hour. Someone could see. That, and she doubted she could manage a layer of ice thick enough, _stable_ enough for something like that. It was one thing to frost over some cobblestones. Quite another to try an actual body of water.

"_Please?"_ Anna begged.

To this day, Elsa didn't know what possessed her—what made her agree.

The sheet was not big. Just enough to provide a little room for Anna to go back and forth, a ways off from shore because her aim was poor and she didn't _know_ what she was doing, didn't have proper _control…_

It was fine for a bit. Held up nicely. Anna _was_ getting better. She didn't wobble nearly as much, didn't flail her arms as wildly…

A faint crackling noise made Elsa's heart stop.

She opened her mouth to call Anna back but the sound of shattered ice was all she heard and Anna's frightened little yelp and she didn't even _think_ before throwing herself into the freezing water, all she could see, all she could hear was _Anna._

It was different, under the water. Whereas above the morning was bright and clear and crisp, below it was muted. Dark. Muffled. Elsa tried to get her bearings, but it was so hard, her heavy winter clothes making it difficult to maneuver…

Elsa didn't know if it was her own conscious decision, or if the ice somehow _knew_ she was in danger, but the faint blue glow that signaled the use of her powers lit the darkened waters, and—_there._ Anna. She darted forward, grabbed her sister. Hauled her to the surface as quickly as she could.

"Help!" she sputtered the instant her head was above water. "Someone!" Was Anna breathing? It didn't look like Anna was _breathing_ and Elsa felt her own breath hitch in her throat, Anna looked so pale and small…

A man rushed over at that point—a fisherman who had been close by. He helped Elsa get Anna back home, and Mama and Papa had rushed out and they wrapped Anna in blankets and got her warm and she _was_ breathing, she was okay—

For a moment, it looked like all would be well.

And then that moment ended.

Then the fisherman revealed he'd seen something; the glowing blue hands. Papa laughed, told him it was just the reflection off the water. Then the fisherman asked how it was that Elsa was seemingly unbothered by a swim in a freezing fjord. Papa looked at Elsa, her dripping coat, her soaked hair…she did not shiver, did not look like someone who had fallen through ice.

Papa said nothing.

The man jabbed a finger at Elsa, his tone accusing. _Unnatural_, he said, fixing Mama and Papa with a look that made Elsa duck behind Papa's legs. He said other things…but he mumbled them and Elsa couldn't make them out. Probably for the best, really.

The fisherman left, but he called over his shoulder, threatened he'd return. Mama's eyes had widened, and she asked Papa if the man was dangerous.

"No need to worry about him, dear," he promised. Though he didn't look very convinced.

The day wore on, and though Anna was awake and aware, something was not right. She was all…blue around the edges. Nose. Ears. Fingers. She was confused, couldn't remember things clearly. Papa called a doctor, and they gave Anna more blankets, moved her closer to the fire…when the doctor arrived, he did the same thing.

"Warm." He insisted. "We must get her _warm._"

Elsa watched, terrified. _You did this,_ she realized. _You should have said __**no.**_

Eventually, the doctor left, but only once he was sure Anna was alright. He recommended she stay close to the fire, under the thick blankets. They asked about the confusion, the loss of memory.

"Temporary," the doctor said. And he was right…about the confusion, anyway. The lost memories (the accident, _the powers)_ did not return.

Time passed. The doctor would later tell them that it wasn't the accident that had caused it, but there would always be suspicion…because from _that_ _day _onward, Anna remained somewhat frail, prone to bouts of sickness, come the chill of winter.

While anxiety took root at home, fear blossomed in town. People treated them differently. Whispered things as they'd pass by. Papa lost his job at the university. Someone scrawled a word on their door in bright red paint—it was a word Elsa didn't recognize, and Papa explained that it was a silly, superstitious thing—Old Norse, relating to the likes of _vǫlva _and _jǫtunn _and, _It's_ _none of your concern, dear. _Papa said._ Now go back to bed._

And then one night the fisherman came back, along with some others—they were saying things about prolonged bad weather, and omens…

They got loud. And angry. Papa talked to them for hours while Mama stood close by, gripping a frying pan so tightly that her knuckles shown white in the darkness.

Eventually the men left.

Papa announced that they were moving shortly after. (To an entirely different _country._ Papa would try and convince her they weren't afraid, that it was not her fault, _I need a new job, Elsa, and a University in America has offered me a position,_ but would eventually see no point in lying, as Elsa was perceptive enough to see the situation for what it was.)

They started over. Papa made Elsa _swear_ not to use the powers, _ever._ And it was easier, as Anna never did recover her memories. (A blessing. A curse. Some days both, some days neither.) Elsa kept her distance. Anna was sad, but at least she was _safe._ Life went on. Or, the imitation of life, for Elsa, anyway. A close approximation.

She'd try to imagine, sometimes, what sort of person she'd be without _that day_ etched firmly in the back of her mind. Would she be like Anna? Bright and cheerful and fearless?

"Elsa."

She blinked. She'd been lost in thought longer than she realized.

"We can fix this, we can…you know…reverse it? Or something…" Anna was saying. Stepping closer. "We can…we can go to someone, or _do_ something, or—"

"No, we _can't."_ Elsa said firmly, turning away. It was settled, and honestly? Elsa just didn't have any fight left in her. _Hadn't_ had any fight in her to begin with.

She was tired. It was getting harder, to keep the ice in check, with all these people with everything Anna was going through. (She'd chased a man with a _gun_ through _traffic_ and had jumped after some sort of _submarine_ and Anna could handle it now, she was strong and capable, but it still made Elsa's heart pound, to think what could've happened…)

_Make up your mind, Elsa,_ she thought angrily. She was being a hypocrite. She wanted Anna to be safe, want to make sure she was alright…but she was jeopardizing that by sticking so close.

Well, she'd held up her end of the bargain. Her job was done—she could go back to keeping her distance. She would be leaving an entire life behind, yes, but there was relief in that. Somewhat.

"You're just…you're going to leave?" Anna asked. Elsa started, disturbed by how closely Anna's words matched her thoughts.

"It's better this way."

"What does that even _mean? _You're…you're going off alone? You'd rather…be on your own than fight to stay here and—nobody wants to be alone, Elsa! What…why are you just…" Elsa could _hear_ the mental struggle, could imagine Anna trying to wrap her mind around what was going on, trying to piece it all together.

But she wouldn't be able to. Not without that integral piece…that day in early March where everything had gone so _wrong._

Elsa didn't look back. She walked forward, Anna's words lingering. _Nobody wants to be alone._

She took a deep breath. Tried to be as positive as Anna.

_Alone, yes._ She conceded. _But maybe…for the first time in…how long?_

_Free._

* * *

**Mmmm, wishful thinking, Elsa. **

**As I said, this chapter was just me trying to get all the pieces to match up...not sure if it was terribly successful, though! I guess we'll see. (Also, let's play spot the Tangled reference.) Reviews are appreciated, but it's cool if you don't feel inclined to leave one! Either way, hope everyone's still enjoying the story. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Short and sweet. But don't worry! I've got the next chapter all typed up and ready to go, so that should be up soon. :) Thank you to all who faved/followed. I appreciate it!**

**Disclaimer: Disney owns Frozen, and Marvel, so by extension...I think you get the picture.**

**Winter Soldier**

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Dr. Wesel was not thrilled when the prisoners were brought in.

_Don't I have enough to deal with already?_ He privately lamented. Dealing with a madman on a daily basis took a rather large amount of time and effort—and now he was supposed to experiment on captured American soldiers as well?

He grumbled moodily and went outside to survey the new group. _No doubt as pitiful as the others._

However, as soon as he stepped out into the frigid afternoon air, he saw that something was…off.

A scuffle had broken out near the main gate. The other prisoners were quickly being shuffled into the main building, while a group of five guards cornered a ragged looking individual, long hair pulled back into a messy braid.

"_Stay back," _she warned, cuffed hands held out before her in an effort to keep them away. Of course the guards disregarded her orders, steadily approaching, guns aimed and ready to fire.

Wesel sighed.

_Hmmm, one less subject to test, such a shame—_

Gunfire erupted suddenly, as if to fulfill Wesel's prediction, but something…odd happened.

A wall of_ ice_ sprang up suddenly, protecting the young woman from the bullets.

The guards shouted in confusion, and Wesel cried out before they could do anything _stupid_.

"Don't shoot!" He commanded. This gave the guards pause. They turned and looked at him (well, he assumed, anyway, it was impossible to tell with those ridiculous visors they all wore) and he drew himself up to his full height. (Which was, to be perfectly honest, not all that much.)

"Don't. Shoot." He repeated, moving closer to prisoner. She raised her hands once again, but she was no longer focused on the guards, the guns. Rather, she was staring in outright horror at the _ice._

"No…" She whispered quietly.

"Well, _this_ is certainly interesting. Better than the usual rabble they bring in," Wesel said with a hint of glee. He turned to the guards. "As I said, do _not _shoot her," he repeated. "But, please subdue her, and move her to lab seven. Thank you, gentlemen."

He turned on his heel and left, uninterested in whatever chaos was unfolding behind him. That was not his concern; that was not his _job._ He couldn't allow himself to become involved with such things. He had a schedule to keep, after all.

So when he returned later, he was pleased to find the subject tranquilized and situated on the exam table in lab seven, as per his instructions.

Before he was able to begin, however, one of the guards pulled him aside, and in a low tone, said, "She…the ice, sir. It…it took out _seven men._"

Wesel grinned.

"Excellent."

* * *

**Poor Elsa...can't catch a break, can she? :( **

**Anyways, as always, review or not, either is cool, but hopefully you're enjoying the story so far! And please, PLEASE, if there is ever any confusion, or if something doesn't make sense, let me know! I might be able to help. :D (I realize my style can be a bit confusing, in terms of timeline and such, which is why I bring it up.)**

**And finally, I totally forgot to add an end note last chapter...according to Wikipedia (source of all wisdom, ha ha) hypothermia does, in fact, cause confusion and can also cause amnesia. Convenient, no? XD (But again, Wikipedia. So grain of salt, and all that.)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Time for some thrilling heroics! Maybe. Possibly. We'll have to see. ;)**

**Disclaimer: Disney owns Frozen and Marvel and yeah.**

**Winter Soldier**

**Chapter 8**

* * *

Anna sloshed through the thick undergrowth, her boots making an unpleasant sort of squelching sound with each footfall.

_Squishsquahssquish_

She grit her teeth against the rain, and briefly considered using the shield to ward off the stinging drops. It would just slow her down, though, and she couldn't afford to lose any more time.

"Hey, Elsa," she muttered to herself, ignoring the uncomfortable damp chill seeping into her boots. The sound of her voice was barely audible over the downpour. "It's me…Anna. Your sister who didn't _mean_ to get you wrapped up in this mess…"

She continued to mutter to herself, more to keep her train of thought focused than anything else; she knew she would not find Elsa out here, in the woods. No, her sister was somewhere much, _much_ worse.

She'd received the news shortly after arriving in Italy. She'd been sent over to 'encourage the troops' and 'boost morale.' (She'd accomplished neither; she was booed off the stage, having to duck behind the showy shield to avoid the tomatoes. Where on earth did they even _get_ the tomatoes?)

A stern officer approached her afterwards. He raised an eyebrow at her red, white, and blue get-up, prompting her to shrug into an oversized raincoat that someone had shoved into her hands, once the weather turned poor.

"Anna Rogers?" he asked as she turned up the collar against the wind.

"…Yes?"

"…I have some…unfortunate news."

She couldn't remember what his exact words were…she only caught the really important ones: 'Sister,' 'enemy lines,' and 'MIA.'

She didn't stick around to ask him questions—he was clearly just a middleman. She rushed to the command tent, breathless and soaked through to the skin.

"I need to know—" she blinked, startled to see the Colonel seated behind the makeshift desk. "Colonel Philips!"

"Rogers," he nodded. She wondered, briefly, if she should salute, but shook her head and decided against it. _More important things._

"I…sorry. I just…I need some information on the 107th—"

"Not much to tell. Got trapped behind enemy lines. End of story."

"But—"

"No buts, Rogers. I'm sorry about your sister, but we've got bigger fish to fry."

"So…so you aren't even going to send out a search party?"

"…No."

"But that's—"

"_No._"

She tried to wheedle more information out of the man—anything. Anything she could use…

_Use to what?_ She asked herself angrily as she exited the tent, muscles taught and mind spinning. _You gonna go after her yourself?_

…

_Yes._

In the end, she was able to get the information she needed. She'd spotted a stretcher being carted into the infirmary. _Part of the 107__th__,_ someone murmured. She'd bolted inside, eyes darting back and forth until she'd spotted him.

Scrawny, wet, and clearly in pain, the soldier clutched his side weakly, but was otherwise unharmed. Curiously, he waved off the attendants, insisting he was going to wait until the CMO arrived.

Anna hung back, glad for the raincoat. The drab fatigue green blended better than the bright red and blue.

Once the tent cleared out some, she approached the soldier, not entirely sure how she was going to start the conversation. _So, hey, I see you're hurt there, but I'm wondering if you can give me the exact geographic coordinates as to where your fellow soldiers were abducted._

The young soldier blinked at her.

_Whoops. Said that out loud._

He continued to regard her warily, and Anna took a deep breath before continuing.

"Uh, sorry, what I mean is…oh, wait, do you ah…" _Speak English_ she was going to ask, realizing maybe a bit late that perhaps the young Chinese soldier before her might not understand what she was saying.

"I'm from Fresno." He deadpanned, guessing at the question.

"…Right."

"You...want to know where we were hit?" he repeated. Anna nodded.

"My sister…" she trailed off, frustrated at the tears that stung her eyes. She sniffed. "I'm going to go look for her."

The soldier gave her an incredulous look.

"What…like a search party?" he asked, looking around for other soldiers.

"No…just me." She said.

She wasn't surprised by the soldier's reaction—in fact, she expected it. She waited for him to finish laughing. (Actually, she didn't have to wait all that long. He got in a good chuckle or two before he winced and sucked in a breath.)

"You sure you should wait to have that checked?" Anna asked. The soldier nodded tightly.

"M' fine," he said. (He didn't look fine, but Anna didn't press him.) "I'll tell you what you want to know…but I don't think you're gonna stand much chance. You're…a little small."

Anna wanted to point out that he was hardly one to talk—he looked like he might be an inch or two taller than herself. Instead, she just offered a lopsided smile.

"I'm…stronger than I look."

For a moment, Anna didn't think the young man would believe her.

But he seemed to consider her statement. He eyed her, up and down, and finally nodded, as though he had reached some conclusion. And maybe he had, Anna wouldn't know.

He told her as much as he could remember. It hadn't started out bad—up against the Germans, like usual. But the troops had some sort of strange new gun—blasted everything to kingdom come. He'd been hit fairly early on, left to die in some creek bed. But a few guys managed to grab him, get out of there after things went South. He lost consciousness shortly after.

Anna asked if he remembered anything about the area. He offered a vague, halting description, frequently pausing, wanting to get the details right. In the end, though, it wasn't much. Still, she thanked him.

"I appreciate the help…ah…."

"…Ping." He offered flatly.

She left after that, as the CMO arrived and she figured she wasn't going to get any more information. Okay, so it wasn't exactly 'precise coordinates.' It wasn't even a specific location. But she had enough to go off of, and that would have to work.

And so it was that she was slogging her way through a storm in some godforsaken patch of forest several miles behind enemy lines. She didn't know what she was looking for, and she knew chances of a rescue were slim.

But this was _her_ fault. She had to try and fix it.

Eventually the rain let up a bit, but by then the sky was growing dark. Anna hunched her shoulders as the wind picked up. _Cold, cold, cold._

"Of course…has to be in the middle of a…s-storm," her teeth chattered as she made her way up a steep incline. "Heaven forbid the weather cooperate for my r-rescue mission."

The trees cleared as she neared the top of the small crest, and she realized this would be a good opportunity to get the 'lay of the land' as it were. _Might be able to see signs of troop movements, or—_

She abruptly halted in her tracks as she reached the top. _…Or maybe I'll find a top secret military facility._

The crest offered an unobstructed view of the woodland below, and settled smack dab in the middle was a collection of low, grey buildings. Tanks and trucks bustled in and out of a fenced-in enclosure, bright lights illuminating the grounds.

She stepped forward, crouching lower, and squinting to get a better idea of the layout of the compound.

"Huh." Anna muttered aloud. "Well, that was easier than I thou—_aaaaught_!"

Her boot caught on something slippery, and down she went. She tumbled painfully down the steep slope, trying to keep the yelping to a minimum. Near the bottom, she toppled into a small ditch, landing bodily in a shallow puddle of water.

_SLOSH_.

"_Uuuuugh,"_ she groaned quietly, pushing herself upright. "What—" She looked back towards the incline. "Was that…_ice?_"

Later, she'd question the oddity of a random patch of ice on a hillside, but as it was, she stiffened and ducked lower into the ditch as a large truck rumbled by.

She watched it pass, eyes tracking the black and white emblem on the door. She recognized it, from some of the files she'd seen back in Brooklyn.

_Hydra._

She watched a few more trucks pass before an idea struck her. She was grateful for the gathering darkness as she crouched low, waiting for the final truck in the motorcade to get closer. Once it was within range, she sprang from her hiding place, darting after the truck and leaping into the bed.

_Ha!_

She felt a rush of adrenaline and triumph.

And then she noticed the armored troopers.

"…Hiya, fellas. Great weather we're having, huh?"

They went down easily enough. One sharp crack to the jaw, a swift kick to the gut, and they were sent rolling out the back of the truck. She watched from her spot behind an ammunitions crate, relieved that they remained unmoving in the road.

_Okay, okay_, she thought to herself as the truck drove on. _Okay. Here's the plan. Get in. Get information. Try to figure out where they send POWs. And then get out. …Yeah. Good. That's good._ She psyched herself up, clenching and unclenching her fists. She wasn't _afraid_, exactly. She had super strength on her side, after all. That sort of thing tended to ease fears.

But she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a _little_ fearful. But really, she was only afraid of the possibility that this whole endeavor might be for naught. She remembered Colonel Philip's stern expression, his grim assertion that the men and women of the 107th were probably dead.

_Don't think like that, Anna. Don't think like that._ She repeated over and over. _You're going to find her, no matter what it takes. You're going to—oh, oh no—we're stopping, we're—_

The screech of brakes signaled that the truck had reached its destination. Taking a deep breath and (somewhat belatedly) reaching for the shield strapped to her back, Anna grit her teeth and jumped from the back of the truck—

—Right into an armored trooper. He fell back, helmet colliding with the wall behind him.

_CRACK._

He slumped to the ground, and did not move.

"Uh…oops?" Anna whispered, glancing around to see if anyone had witness her (somewhat fortunate) mishap.

It didn't look like it, so she ducked her head and darted towards the main yard. Shadows stretched between rows and rows of tanks—it was perfect cover.

"Alright, where to, where to?" She murmured, looking around. Her eyes fell on the largest of the buildings, dark and imposing against the cloudy night sky. "…That looks like a good place to start."

Off she went, keeping low and avoiding guards whenever she could. (She only had to knock out like, three guys. No big deal.) She made it inside easily enough, navigating through the maze of narrow hallways, lit only by pale blue fluorescent bulbs overhead.

Eventually she reached a door she could not open. The heavy metal was a bit more than her bare fist could handle.

_Hmmmm…_

She glanced through the small window set high in the door. A single guard stood a ways off. An idea struck her.

_Just knock._

She did. When the guard answered, she slammed the door in his face. _Literally._

He fell to the ground in a heap, and she jumped over him, diving behind a…a…

It was then that she looked around. _Really_ looked around. She'd been so intent on _not_ getting caught that she hadn't paused to really take in her surroundings.

She stood in a massive, cavernous space. Clearly the compound was set _in_ the ground, as the hangar-like area was several stories high. Huge equipment ferried what looked like _missiles_ into neat, tidy rows.

Anna gulped audibly.

_What the—_

But it made sense. This was a HYDRA base—a weapons research facility. Only, to Anna, it looked a whole lot less like _research_, and more like the real deal.

She made a note of her surroundings, and resolved to relay any information she could gather to Colonel Philips. She even pocketed a few odd-looking clips that lay on a nearby pallet. The metal gleamed brightly in the harsh lights, but what really caught the eye was the unnatural blue glow of the cartridge within.

…_Creepy…_

She hurried onwards, and made it to the lower levels of the hangar without further incident. (She was getting pretty good at the whole 'being stealthy' thing…Well, okay, there were two more troops she'd had to take out, but _still._)

She rounded a corner, and quickly backpedaled. A column of guards was approaching from the other end of the hall. Frantically, she looked for cover. She hid in a darkened corridor as they goose-stepped past.

She waited until they'd turned a corner, and disappeared from view. She stood to leave, but then she happened to glance behind her.

Set in the floor were large, open grates. _Some sort of drainage system?_ She wondered as she leaned closer. She squinted into the gloom, only to jump back with a start.

_People!_

She tensed to run. Where they guards? Had they seen her?

"Hey!" Someone called.

Well, that answered her question.

She backed away, turning towards the door. But someone called out again.

"Hey, you up there!"

She stopped. There was a distinct _lack_ of a German accent. The barest sliver of hope formed at the back of her mind.

"Uh…hi?" She gave a jaunty sort of wave, stepping closer to the edge of the grate once more.

There were several uniform-clad individuals below, clustered together in some sort of cage. Soldiers, from the looks of them. Allies.

Anna's heart beat faster, and her pulse pounded in her ears.

It was the 107th. It _had _to be.

Her eyes scanned the group, searching for that familiar head of blond hair. _She's not here,_ she realized, dismayed.

Of course, the soldiers didn't understand why she was staring so intently at them. They regarded her curiously, noting the oversized helmet, ill-fitting jacket, and star-spangled shield.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Someone asked.

She paused.

"Uh…" Somehow, 'Anna' didn't seem quite right—not for this situation. "…Captain America?"

They directed her towards the stairs, and once she was down below, she made short work of the locks.

"You're…you're the 107th, right?" She asked, somewhat hesitantly. She was still searching for Elsa, but she didn't see her anywhere. _Maybe it's another group of MIA soldiers. S_he thought desperately.

A man in a bowler hat answered. "Yeah, that's us."

Anna felt cold dread pulse through her veins.

"Now what?" someone else asked. Anna pushed aside her growing dismay and answered him.

"I…I dunno…just…get out, and give them…uh…you know…hell?" It was something she'd heard back on the base. It seemed to do the trick, as the grinned and cheered and stormed out of the makeshift prison. She called after the bowler hat guy.

"Wait," she said. "I'm…I'm looking for Sergeant Elsa Rogers, she—"

"They grabbed some of our guys," the man said, expression grim. "Took 'em right after we arrived—haven't seen 'em since. Pretty sure she was one of the ones they nabbed."

At that, Anna felt a sort of odd mixture of relief and fear. Was that possible, to be simultaneously happy that her sister was here, in the research facility, but also terrified as to what had happened to her?

"…Thanks…"

"I'm sorry," he said sincerely, but he was already jogging in the opposite direction. "You coming?"

Anna shook her head.

"Not yet."

_**XXX**_

If the pandemonium outside was anything to go by, Anna was pretty sure they were winning.

Explosions rocked the entire compound, and cries rang out through the halls. Anna ignored them of course, combing every last inch of the base as she ran, looking for Elsa.

A thousand possible scenarios ran through her brain, every single one of them awful. She fought to ignore them, to push them aside and _focus_.

But try as she might, gruesome images still formed in her mind's eye. Eventually she gave up trying to ignore them, and instead used them as motivation to run faster.

She came to a deserted section of one of the older buildings, the worn brick walls doing little to combat the chill in the air. Anna was reminded of her soggy uniform as a sharp draft blew through the corridor.

_Clank!_

She looked up, surprised by the noise. At the end of the hall, a short man in thick glasses struggled to gather what looked like medical equipment and papers. Anna scowled.

"You!" She shouted, dashing forward.

The man yelped and sprinted away, leaving the papers behind.

Anna let him go. He wasn't important. _Finding Elsa_ was important.

She ducked into one of the rooms off the main hall. It was a small medical lab, but the shelves were bare, the cabinets picked clean.

Nothing.

She tried another.

And another.

_No luck_.

She almost skipped the last one, but something compelled her to poke her head through the doorframe.

She nearly collapsed with relief.

This room was just like the others—equipment gone, shelves empty, nothing inside—shave for _one_ crucial difference.

"Elsa!"

Anna's vision went blurry with tears as she ran to her sister's side. She was strapped to a gurney, her hair tugged loose from its braid, the bangs falling into her unfocused eyes. She looked haggard and worn, but was thankfully whole and seemingly unharmed—so different from the frightening images Anna had conjured up.

"…Stable phase…hexagonal…" she was muttering incoherently, but Anna hardly cared.

"_Elsa!"_ She didn't even bother trying to unclip the restraints. She just tore them off. "Elsa, _Elsa_, it's me. Anna."

"…Anna," Elsa repeated. For a frightening moment, Anna worried that Elsa didn't recognize her. Her sister just stared at her, blankly, no trace of emotion, but then, "…_Anna,"_

She fell forward into Anna's arms, which might've been all emotionally touching and stuff, but then Anna realized it was because Elsa couldn't really keep herself upright. Still, Anna took the opportunity to hug her sister. (Later, she would realize it was the first time in, like…forever.)

"I thought you were dead," Anna told her quietly, holding her steady. Elsa winced, tried to get the room to stop spinning.

"…I thought you were in Buffalo," she countered.

And only then did Anna relax.

_BOOOM._

Marginally.

"We'd…better go," Anna said, draping one of Elsa's arms over her shoulder. And Elsa was so disoriented; she allowed the physical contact, lacking the strength and awareness to protest.

"Yeah…good plan," she slurred.

Together they ran (loped) from the medical lab, from the compound.

And Anna never noticed the ice on the floor.

* * *

**Yay, Elsa's safe! Or is she...? XD **

**(As a side note, I'm sure some are wondering, 'Wait, what? Elsa and Anna and _women_ in combat roles, and yet you've got a guest appearance by Mulan? BUH?!'**

**To which I say, yep...this is, after all, an AU, why not, you know? Women in combat roles is no big deal. But Mulan's case is special, in that her family doesn't approve of her enlisting, and her dad is some big wig general or something, so she's gotta go under an assumed name. IDK guys. I just wanted to throw Mulan in here. XD )**

**As always, review or not, that's cool, but hopefully the story's enjoyable so far! (Woo, I think we're getting close to the actual Winter Soldier stuff. I'M EXCITED.)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry about the missed update, guys! I'll try to bang out a few shorter ones to make up for it. We'll see how that goes.**

**Disclaimer: DISNEY OWNS ALLLLLL.**

**Winter Soldier **

**Chapter 9**

* * *

They'd done something to her.

Elsa didn't know _what,_ exactly. She only knew that something was _wrong._

The ice felt different. It didn't respond in the familiar ways that Elsa had reluctantly grown used to. It didn't obey the same commands, didn't do as she wanted. (But then, it had never really been that well behaved to begin with.) However, it seemed so much more…volatile. It seemed…

_Angry._

Elsa could think of no other way to describe it. She _wished_ there was another way, because referring to it as a separate entity, capable of _feelings_ was disturbing, in itself.

She began to notice the difference during the long trek back to the camp. Anna led the way, Elsa practically draped over her side. She was all but dead weight, really.

But that wasn't really an issue for Anna.

They slogged through the rain-drenched woodlands, hiked over gradual slopes, fallen logs, rocky terrain. Like many of the other soldiers, Elsa often found herself stumbling—a foot caught on a boulder, a misstep over uneven ground. And it was frustrating, certainly, but not enough to make her upset.

And yet she could feel frost forming on her palms.

"How much…farther?" she rasped. Time and distance were blurring together as her exhaustion grew. Anna wore a determined grin.

"We're close."

"You said that…last time."

"I know. We were close then. We're even closer now."

Elsa laughed. It was only slightly manic.

Anna made some sort of joke about sending her behind enemy lines more often, it made her chatty—but she wasn't paying attention. The frost was becoming a problem; she could see it creeping up her shirt sleeve.

"Anna—"

"I see 'em!" Someone shouted. At first, Elsa thought it was one of the men walking alongside them. But then she saw a few figures up ahead, waving their arms, some running towards them, some running away. Tents and crates eventually came into view.

They'd made it.

A veritable _swarm_ of soldiers greeted them as they entered the camp, everyone shouting all at once. Elsa winced, and pulled away from Anna. She swayed only slightly, and managed to stay upright. Anna looked at her, confused, but was promptly yanked into group of cheering, chanting officers. They slapped her on the back, hollered praise.

The frost was plainly visible. Elsa crossed her arms and shot Anna one last, grateful look, before a frown displaced it, and she hurried off towards…well, nowhere in particular. Just _away._

Some of the others eyed her curiously as she passed. She had to wonder, _did they know? Had they seen?_

Hydra certainly knew.

The thought made her stomach churn.

She found a relatively secluded corner of the camp—it wasn't all that difficult, everyone was rushing off to see what the commotion was—and she carefully extended her arms. Flexed her fingers.

The frost looked…strange. It was cloudy and veined, the patterns jagged and harsh.

She attributed both the appearance and the presence of the frost to her exhaustion, her stress.

_Conceal._ She thought, forcing her emotions to the back of her mind. She breathed raggedly, in and out. _Conceal, don't feel._

Eventually, the frost stopped climbing. Her palms lost the faint blue hue, and she patted the sleeves of her shirt. Damp spots remained where some of the offending ice had melted, but that could be explained away.

She sighed heavily, and took a few more deep breaths, in the hopes that it would steady her, and she'd be ready to go back, join the others.

She closed her eyes.

Something sharp and painful flared deep in her skull. Her eyes snapped open, and she gasped as the frost sprang to her palms once more.

"What…"

Just as before, the frost was _wrong._ It was thicker. _Colder._ The geometric spirals were replaced with a web of branching tendrils. She clenched her fists, repeated the mantra. _Willed_ it to stop.

It didn't.

Desperate, she looked around, eyes frantically darting from tent to tent. _What could she do? Ask for help?_

_Say, I happen to have secret ice powers that are on the fritz. Mind helping me out?_

Her gaze fell on a group of crates and barrels. One sat open, empty save for the rain water that had filled it.

She rushed over, frost all the way up to her elbows.

She plunged her hands into the water. The frost quickly melted; the water was warmer than the ice, after all. She yanked her hands out before the water in the barrel could freeze.

She stared at her hands, terrified the frost would come back.

It didn't, thankfully. But her palms were still faintly _blue._ She shoved them into her pockets, a new kind of fear settling like a heavy weight on her shoulders.

_What had they done to her?_

* * *

**Well that's troubling.**

**As always, review or not, it's cool! (I will say that reviews are very much appreciated though, and provide excellent motivation.) But! Either way, hope you've enjoyed/are enjoying the story so far. :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Okay. A little longer this time. :)**

**Disclaimer: Disney owns all.**

**Winter Soldier**

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Anna was expecting an official reprimand. A verbal lashing. Maybe some sort of punishment for her actions.

Instead she received commendation and an order to, in the Colonel's words, 'light a fire under Hydra's ass.'

Which is how she found herself in an underground War Room in London, surrounded by officers, facing a large map of Europe.

"I only grabbed that clip and a few documents," she admitted, biting her lip. "I didn't get a good look at any of their maps." They couldn't send a team to salvage any of the base's secrets, either; it had gone up in flames. Apparently, Hydra didn't like leave loose ends.

"You don't recall _anything?_ Any clue as to where the other Hydra bases might be?" someone asked. Anna shook her head.

"I mean…I could _guess,_ but I don't think that would be a good idea—"

"I…I think I can help." A voice spoke up from behind the group. Several of the men turned, surprised by the interruption. Anna, however, grinned. "I…there was a map. In the lab…"

Elsa quietly approached the large chart and eyed the outlines of the countries. After a few beats, she carefully grabbed a handful of markers and began placing them on various points, hesitating only a few times.

"Um, I'm sorry…who is this?" one of the British offices spoke up. His tone was more curious than condescending, but Anna felt affronted, nonetheless.

"She's—"

"Sergeant Elsa Rogers," her sister answered, cutting her off. Elsa raised an eyebrow at her, and Anna was once again reminded that, of the two of them, Elsa technically had more experience with the whole 'soldier' thing. It was…a little strange to see, actually. For so long, she'd just been 'Elsa.' Shy, quiet Elsa who preferred to stay home and read, or listen to the radio. Elsa, who avoided conflict like people avoided…uh…like people avoided…unpleasant…things. (Anna had never been good with metaphors.)

Anna supposed this Elsa was also shy, quiet, and averse to conflict…but there was a confidence there that was entirely new.

Strange? Sure. A welcome change?

Most definitely.

Elsa finished placing the markers, and stood back to give the map one more careful look before nodding.

"I think that's all of them."

The same British gentleman who had questioned them before opened his mouth to speak—no doubt another skeptical remark of some sort—but the Colonel stepped in, expressed his absolute faith in the Rogers girls, and quickly dismissed them.

Of course, afterwards, he pulled Anna and Elsa aside, and fixed them both with a steely glare.

"You positive about this?" he asked.

"…Yes." Elsa said.

The Colonel didn't look convinced.

"…You think she's positive about this?" Philips asked Anna after a beat. Anna nodded fiercely. The Colonel sighed. "Well alright then. I guess we move forward. I'm assembling a team of our best soldiers to help you take out those bases—"

"Um, actually, sir," Anna interrupted him, wincing only slightly at his irritated frown. "I uh…I've been doing the same thing?"

The Colonel narrowed his eyes.

"_Oh?"_

_**XXX**_

The group was…motley. Motley, ragtag, scrappy…but Elsa assured her, they were the best.

"Okay, so, the big guy—"

"Ralph."

"Ralph. Right. He's good with close quarters combat?"

"In a pinch. He's better with defensive maneuvers, though."

"Okay. Got it. Ping…I know Ping. He ah…he helped me, when I went to…you know."

"…Yes."

"And Radcliffe…he's the tall, skinny one. Big nose."

"Right."

"Then there's…okay, I can do this. I can do this. Kida…ga…something-or-other."

"She goes by 'Kida.'"

"_Whew._ Yeah, much easier to remember. And pronounce. So that leaves," Anna glanced back at the list. "…_Mole?"_

"Yes. Mole."

"Like, a _mole_ mole? The digging, burrowing mo—"

"Yes. And it is fitting. _Trust me."_

Anna frowned, but her nervousness quickly dissipated as Elsa laughed lightly, covering her mouth with her hand. She proceeded to relate a story involving Mole and fireflies and Anna only half listened. Her mind was on other things. Namely, how…different Elsa was, given the circumstances. It was a good different, of course. Anna couldn't remember a time when they'd been so close—well, except maybe when they were kids.

This did, though, circle back to her initial worry—just what had they _done_ to Elsa back at that Hydra base? What had they done to bring about such a drastic change in her? She was more talkative—still soft spoken, but she carried on actual _conversations._ With _people._ She seemed more at ease with her training. She had not been thrilled, when they first began this venture, that she would be expected to take basic along with Anna. She was even less thrilled when she had to _use _said training. But now, she wasn't hesitant to wield a weapon. (Still hesitant to actually _use_ it, though, which was a small comfort. Some familiarity, at least.)

There were periods, though, where Elsa would…withdraw. She'd get a kind of vacant look on her face, and she'd just…find an excuse to leave. It was during those episodes that Anna feared she'd revert back to her old ways—that she'd shut people out again. That she'd shut _Anna_ out again.

Thankfully she always seemed to come out of it.

"—Burned clear through the tent." Elsa finished the story. Anna nodded.

"Ha, that's—wait, what?"

But before Elsa could roll her eyes and begin the tale anew, the pub came into view at the end of the street. Anna, excited, grabbed Elsa's wrist and tugged her along.

Elsa visibly stiffened, but did not pull away.

Once inside, it was easy enough to locate the five—Ralph towered over most of the patrons, even sitting down.

"There she is! Captain America!" He proclaimed as they approached the table. There was a sort of half-hearted echo of the cheer from of chorus of those in the pub sober enough to do so, but the rest of the group merely raised their glasses, offered small smiles. Anna smiled back.

"Um, hi?"

"I thought she would be taller," a heavily accented, gravelly voice sounded to Anna's immediate right. She glanced down, and noticed a small, round, begoggled gentleman. Caked in mud.

"Ah. You…must be Mole," she guessed. She (begrudgingly) offered her hand.

He sniffed it. Removed a small set of forceps. Picked something out from under her nail.

"Don't mind him," Ralph laughed as Anna yelped and yanked her hand back. "He does that to everyone."

"Charming," Anna remarked. She took a seat, nodding her thanks as they made room for her at the table. She waited for Elsa to sit down. When she didn't, Anna turned to her, confused.

"I'll…be back." Elsa muttered. Anna frowned. She had that sort of…empty look on her face.

"Are…are you sure?"

"Yeah." She answered, before turning and heading towards the bar. Anna wanted to go after her, to ask her what was up, but Ralph said something, asked her a question. She forced her attention to return to the topic at hand: convincing these guys to help bring down Hydra.

She launched into her prepared speech, stumbling and rambling her way through it in spite of the fact she'd brought notes. By the end of it, she was sure they'd be collectively rolling their eyes, telling her, '_no way.'_

She braced herself for the rejection.

"I'm in." Ralph declared without a moment's hesitation.

Radcliffe, who had been relatively quiet all evening, removed a pipe from his back pocket. Casually lit it. Began to puff. "Sounds exciting. I suppose I'm in as well."

Ping also agreed, drawing himself up to his full height, pounding his fist against his chest. He mentioned something about manly urges.

Mole said something in French. Anna frowned.

"Uh, sorry, I don't—" Kida said something back to him in French. Mole responded. Kida socked him in the mouth.

"Mole and I are _in."_ she told Anna. And, though the whole thing was a bit…unorthodox, and not at all how she'd pictured her team of experts, she found herself grinning broadly.

"Great!" She exclaimed, "So, I guess now we'll—"

"Hold on," Ralph cut her off, holding up one of his large hands. "One condition."

"O-oh?"

"We'll help you take down Hydra," her mind spun with all of the possible ways the sentence could end, "if you start up a tab."

She heaved a relieved sigh, not at all minding when they laughed and poked fun at her.

"Should've seen your face!"

"Calm down, Cap!"

"Tapper! Another round!" Ralph's voice was firm and clear as he raised his glass. "We're with ya 'till the end of the line."

_**XXX**_

The pain had started up shortly before they arrived at the pub, but she had ignored it. It was easy enough—it was a dull, persistent sort of ache that could be pushed aside. Like a sore muscle.

She told Anna everything she knew about the five soldiers from the 107th. It wasn't much—just the sort of thing you picked up in the mess, around camp. There was one particular story about Mole, though…

By the time they greeted the group inside, the pain was no longer a dull ache. It was now a sharp pulse; the same sort of sharp pulse that typically signaled an icy mishap.

"I'll…be back," she made some excuse to leave, hoping Anna wouldn't be too upset, having to face the group alone. She made her way to a secluded part of the bar. Secluded in the sense that most of the folks sagging in their chairs weren't entirely coherent, and wouldn't notice a patch of frost on her elbow.

Her breathing was shallow and fast, but as she was discovering, if she just waited it out, it would eventually pass. That was the upside to…whatever they'd done to her ice powers. There were moments when she'd lose control—moments when the ice wouldn't obey even the fiercest command—but once it calmed down, she found that the powers weren't _nearly_ as troublesome. It was almost like there were tamed.

It…was liberating, in a way. Not to constantly have to keep them in check.

She ordered a drink. She had no intention of actually _consuming_ it, but a cold beer would be less conspicuous than an icy counter top.

The barkeep slammed the tumbler down, apparently not caring as some of the amber liquid sloshed over the edge. Elsa didn't really care either. She gripped the mug tightly, gritting her teeth as frost slithered across the glass.

She glanced around. No one had noticed.

The pain and the ice lasted a bit longer, but gradually both faded. She exhaled noisily.

"_Whoa._ You _drink?"_

Elsa almost fell off the stool. She whirled, surprised to see Anna standing behind her.

"What? I—no. I don't."

"Uh-huh. _Sure."_ Anna put on a sly smile. "I'm not sure what's more surprising. That you actually, you know, _drink,_ or that you drink _beer_ of all things."

Elsa considered denying it again, but thought better of it. Instead she shrugged and then, on something of a whim, took a swig from the mug.

_Bleh._

Anna chuckled as she coughed and sputtered, surprised by how _awful_ it tasted. People…_enjoyed_ this? Hmmm, possibly, but she had a feeling they enjoyed the…effects of the beverage…perhaps enough to ignore the taste.

"S-so," she wheezed, desperate to change the subject. "How did it go?"

"_Great,"_ Anna told her. She pulled up a stool and sat down next to Elsa, which normally would've made her nervous. Now, though, her powers were a distant worry. She couldn't even feel the pulse of the frost under her skin. "We've got ourselves a team!"

"'We?'" Elsa asked, her tone light. She forced herself to take another sip. It was still unpleasant, but at least this time she was prepared.

"Yeah, '_we,'_" Anna elbowed her lightly in the side. (Well, maybe lightly for _Anna._ Once again, Elsa nearly fell off the stool. She winced, which of course prompted a slew of apologies from her younger sister, and admonitions that she didn't know her own strength, etc. etc.) Once she was sure she hadn't broken any of Elsa's ribs, she continued. "It's not like I'm gonna take down Hydra without you."

"Well, as touching as that is," Elsa teased her, "I just don't think of them as _our_ team. Yours, maybe. Not _ours."_

"But," Anna's brow furrowed, and she looked as though she was confused. Like she couldn't quite believe what Elsa had said, or maybe that she'd said it. "Elsa, I can't—I can't do this without you. Of course it's _our_ team. I mean…" she paused, searching for the right words. "There's no…there's no Captain America without you, you know? Like, _literally._"

Elsa's immediate thought was to counter that statement, to say, _that's ridiculous,_ but she paused. reflected on what had brought them here; all that had happened.

Maybe…Anna was right.

And _that_ thought was enough to make her head spin. She took another swig.

"Fine," Elsa admitted. "But I volunteer as _co-_captain, as you already have the 'captain' position taken care of."

"Fair enough," Anna agreed. "Gosh, this is so…this is so nice."

Elsa almost laughed.

"_This?_" She looked around the dimly lit pub, the men (and some women) half slumped in their seats, the others singing slightly off-key to a poorly tuned piano. "Well, I suppose to some—"

"No, no—well, okay, yes, I mean, this place isn't _so_ bad. They have darts! Oh, if anyone asks, that glass was broken _before_ we came here—" Elsa was going to question her further, but Anna rushed on. "I meant this. _Us._ We…we never really talked much, before. There was…I mean there were a few times…but we're…closer now. I think." Anna dropped her eyes to her hands, the right twisting in the grip of the left.

Silence followed. Elsa realized Anna was waiting for her to say something.

"Oh. Um. Yes. I would…agree." And for the most part, she did.

"I'm just…sort of wondering…I mean, I just wanted to know…what…changed?" Anna asked. Elsa blinked, surprised by the question. "You don't have to answer, if you don't want to!" She added hastily, misinterpreting Elsa's reaction. "I didn't mean to—I uh—you know me. Open foot, insert mouth. No, wait, that's not…"

Anna continued to ramble, which was fortunate, as it gave Elsa some time to think.

She knew what had changed, of course. The ice powers, obviously. But she couldn't tell Anna—

Or…could she?

Anna had powers of her own now. Not only that; now Anna knew how to _use_ them. Anna had been lucky with the car chase through Brooklyn. Regardless of her powers, it could have ended very, very badly. But now, Anna was skilled. Better equipped to handle things like…destructive ice powers. But then, she wondered if enhanced strength and speed could combat freezing to death.

Still. Her powers were…less of a problem now. Maybe…maybe…

Maybe it was the alcohol. Could one get drunk from three sips of beer? Maybe she was just feeling a bit too sure of herself, having survived a stay in a Hydra research lab. Whatever it was, she opened her mouth, ready to tell her sister the truth.

"Anna, there's something I have to—"

"Captain Rogers!"

Both Anna and Elsa turned to see Colonel Philips standing behind them, his usual frown directed at the two of them.

They hurriedly moved to get to their feet, which resulted in a rather comedic display of flailing limbs and off-balanced antics.

The Colonel was not amused.

They finally managed to stand at attention and snap out a salute. He sighed, rolled his eyes.

"At ease, soldiers."

They visibly relaxed.

"Rogers," he went on. Both Elsa and Anna responded simultaneously. He rolled his eyes. "The _short_ one." he amended. Anna stepped forward. "I need you back at headquarters. Stark wants to go over some gear, get your input on a few prototypes."

"Oh," Anna said. Then, once his words finally sank in. "Oh! Yeah! Alright, on it!" She said. Philips went to leave, not bothering to wait for Anna to catch up. She jogged after him only to come to an abrupt halt at the end of the bar.

"Elsa," she said, facing her. "Sorry, I—what were you going to say, just now?"

Elsa sat down on the stool. _Now's your chance. _But people were staring, and the music had tapered off.

"I'll…tell you later." she muttered. Seeing that Anna looked a bit upset, she forced a smile. "Promise."

Anna paused, and there was a moment where Elsa thought she might stay and demand Elsa tell her, right here, right now. But she simply gave a curt nod and hurried off.

Elsa watched her go, not entirely sure this sudden determination would last until 'later.' She didn't let it worry her, though.

After all, they had plenty of time.

* * *

**Or do they?**

**DUN DUN DUUUNNNNNNN.**

**Ahem.**

**As always, hope it's enjoyable! Leave a review, or don't, that's cool, but I very much appreciate them! Thanks to those who have been kind enough to leave 'em thus far! :D**


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